That Which Crawls Belowby roflgarChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 1Sirens blared in the middle of the night. Ponies were running everywhere, many of them crying out in confusion. The Equestrian Royal Guard were doing their best to contain the madness, but there were simply too few of them assigned to the evacuation. They worried that they may not be able to get everyone prepared in time. They were running out of time. Twilight awoke shortly after the first siren sounded. She wearily clambered out of bed wondering if it was a drill or if somepony had disturbed one of the large and dangerous creatures living in the Everfree Forest, something which seemed to happen far more often than it logically should. It took her a moment to register what was different about this time: there were ponies shouting orders. Twilight snapped awake, suddenly aware that something was wrong. By this point, Spike had made his way up the stairs to her room. “Spike, grab the emergency kit and meet me at the town hall; I’m going on ahead to see what I can do to help!” Before Spike could inform her that he had already grabbed the emergency kit, she disappeared with a snap and the distinctive flash of magic. Sighing, Spike trudged towards the door. Twilight reappeared outside the town hall and looked around for someone who appeared to be in charge. It took her only a moment to see who was handing out orders, but it took her several minutes to make her way through the crowd of confused ponies who had gathered, many of them looking scared. She noticed that the guard forces seemed grossly insufficient to deal with the number of inhabitants in Ponyville. Eventually, she pushed through the throng made it up to the officer in charge. “Um, excuse me, sir, I’m Twilight Sparkle. Is there anything I can do to help?” She thought he was about to shout at the guards to have her taken away, but then he seemed to remember something. “Ah, miss Sarkle, a pleasure, I’m sure. Several of your friends are waiting in the Town Hall. Officer Jowels will see you inside. I’m General Ploddington, by the way.” At the mention of Officer Jowles a pony, who Twilight took to be the stallion in question, appeared and made a respectful nod towards her. Taking this as her cue, she followed him into the town hall. Inside, she found most of her friends gathered around a large, wooden table. She saw Pinky Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy. She assumed that Applejack had not yet arrived since Sweet Apple Acres was a good bit further than anypony else’s house. Most of them looked tired; Twilight even thought she could see a hair out of place in Rarity’s mane. Pinky Pie, of course, was as enthusiastic as always. “Oh hey Twilight! I’m so glad you could come to this midnight-madness pony pajama party!” “Hi girls, um, do any of you actually know why we’re in here? Have they told you anything?” she asked, stifling a yawn. It was Rainbow Dash who volunteered an answer, “Nope, they haven’t told us a single thing. They just told us to wait in here while they get the rest of us. Just sitting here is driving me CRAZY!” Just then they heard the door opening again. A clearly out of breath Applejack trotted inside along with General Ploddington. “Sorry ahm late, everypony. Things are a little hectic down at the farm.” The general cleared his throat, “If you’d please take a seat, I can tell you all why you’re here and why Ponyville is in an uproar.” He waited a moment for Applejack to make her way around the table. “Equestria itself is under attack by a foe we believed to be extinct. Canterlot was hit the hardest; the princesses are still fighting there to continue to buy time for the surviving civilians. They are on the move throughout Equestria and the Royal Guard is stretched thin dealing with them.” “Who would want to attack Equestria?” Twilight asked. “From the reports we’ve gathered, it would appear to be Devourers. They were last seen in Equestria roughly 500 years ago. After the War of the Mountain, we believed they had been wiped out.” There was a noticeable silence in the room. They all knew about the wars of the past, even if such things seemed quite foreign to their peaceful existence. Indeed, the War of the Mountain was the last major conflict that Equestria had been involved in. It was Rainbow Dash who seemed to recover from the shocking news first. “Well, what are we waiting here for?! We have to go and help the princesses!” “I have gathered you all here because Princess Celestia wrote this letter for you all before she went to hold them off. I do not know its contents, only that she entrusted me to bring it to all of you. Allow me to read it.” “Dear Elements of Harmony, I hope this letter reaches you quickly as the situation is dire. As I write this Canterlot is under siege by an old enemy. They are much stronger than the ones we fought in the past, and they may be more numerous as well. I would like each of you to lend your talents to aid in our struggle. Luna and I will be along as quick as we can, but there is a task that we must complete before we can help everypony finish this brutal conflict. Fluttershy, I know you are too gentle a soul to take a life, but that does not mean you cannot help your friends. That is why I want you to help the in the field hospital. Many creatures other than ponies will be involved in this conflict, and we simply do not have enough ponies trained to help them. Help those that you can, and ease the passing of those you cannot. Rainbow Dash, you are one of the fastest fliers in all of Equestria. I would like you to help scout areas from the air and report enemy locations to our troops. I know you will never abandon your fellow ponies, so I ask you to help them avoid the traps and snares our enemies lay before us. Pinky Pie, I would like you to lend your baking skills to the Royal Canteen and your cheer to the soldiers themselves. Soldiers need food just as regular ponies, but they also need somepony who can cheer them up after seeing the horrors of war. As the Element of Laughter, you are uniquely suited to helping them keep their hopes alive. Rarity, you are one of the most productive and creative dressmakers in the land. While we have little need for dresses on the battlefield, we DO have plenty of need for camouflage and warm clothes for fighting in colder areas. You have shown yourself quite capable of making large quantities of clothing. There will be plenty of ponies who need their armor lined with fur. There will also be plenty of broken straps. It’s not the most glamorous of jobs, but it must be done, and I believe that you will help save somepony’s life. Applejack, I would like you to help guard the supply trains. They are invaluable to our armies. In addition, I trust that you would never attempt to manipulate or unjustly profit from such a critical task. I hope that you will live up to all my expectations. And to my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, it is from you I require the greatest sacrifice. I am asking you to actually lead ponies into battle against what is truly one of Equestria’s most fearsome foes. I will not lie to you; you will be horrified by what you will see. It may be that you will never forgive yourself for what will come to pass in these next few days. I understand the position I am placing you into, and I am sorry. I would gladly hide you from all the horrors of the world so that you might never know the guilt that comes with making impossible decisions or experience the night terrors that accompany failure. It is with a heavy heart that I promote you to the rank of High-General. Accompanying this rank is the title of Duchess. You answer only to Luna and myself, nopony else will question your choices. I trust you will use your newfound influence to end this war as well as can be done. Above all else, I want you all to remember to never give up hope. Even when things are at their worst, look towards the future; so long as you draw breath, so does hope. -Her Royal Majesty, Celestia Chapter 2If it had been quiet when the general had announced that they were at war, it was now completely silent. Most of the mares had begun to look at themselves as the Princess’ words were read, but when Twilight had received her orders they all turned their heads to stare in awe at the newly anointed Lady. Twilight was shocked, and for a long moment she just seemed to be looking at the floor with a look of total confusion on her face, as if she expected to wake up at any moment and discover that all of this was merely a horrible dream. When it seemed that no such comfort would come, she slowly closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When she opened them again, there was a look of determination on her face. “I don’t know if I’m really up to the task, but if Celestia believes I can do it, then I must try my best. General, I need you to bring me up to date on everything that’s happened. We’ll also need some help to get my friends to where they’re needed. How long will it take?” “Jowels will be able to take miss Dash to the Scoutmaster. Applejack and Pinky should also follow him, as he has a letter to deliver to the head of logistics anyway. Fluttershy, you should go home and gather anything you need to treat animals then come back here. The hospitals are still being set up, so I’ll have one of the other doctors come by later to fill you in. Miss Rarity, you need only go up the stairs behind you, and take the third door on the right. Now, m’lady, if you would kindly follow me into that room back there we can begin giving you the reports.” Ploddington seemed to have simply accepted that the purple mare in front of him had just gone from commoner to one of the most influential ponies in a matter of seconds. Twilight suspected there was something in his disciplined nature that kept him from lashing out against what many other ponies would see as blatant favoritism. What bothered her most about that inevitable accusation was the fact that she couldn’t really deny it. When she realized that she had drifted off in her thoughts and that everypony was now staring at her, she couldn’t help but blush and lower her head a bit. Somewhat sheepishly, she followed the general into what was normally the mayor’s office while her friends split off to go and fulfill their own tasks. There was very little to go over as far as the actual conflict was concerned since it had begun mere hours earlier. Instead they spent a lot of time going over Twilight’s daily duties, reviewing the structure of the army, and finding suitable advisors. Twilight would have greatly enjoyed having one of her friends near her, but she understood that they had their own places to be. Understanding, however, did little to lessen the pain she felt at being separated from all of her friends. Eventually, they decided that her advisors would consist of a unicorn mare named Starbright and an earth pony mare named Scrubbrush, and she would be assigned a personal guard of four earth ponies, four pegasi, and two unicorns. Since her education in the field of military tactics was fairly limited and her knowledge of battle magic frightfully absent, her advisors would also be functioning as tutors. When most of the logistical stuff had been sorted out, Ploddington spread a large map over the mayor’s desk. It was a detailed map of Equestria marked with all manner of lines and symbols. Ploddington began to explain the symbols, and before long Twilight began to see how their forces were laid out, where the supply lines were, and where the enemy was believed to be. Periodically, there would be a knock on the door as some report or other would come in. Most of the reports contained bad news: units being ambushed, patrols going missing, civilians being found slaughtered, and in one particularly bad report an entire village in which every single pony had been killed and the bodies abused, many beyond recognition. That was the first time during the war that Twilight wept openly, wept for all of the ponies she could not save. General Ploddington said no words, but as the reports came in, his face seemed to age and grow profoundly sad. The war had taken them completely unawares, and everypony was paying the price. The next day they left Ponyville behind with a token garrison. All civilians had been advised to be ready to leave at any moment. Twilight found a brief moment to tell Spike what had happened. Naturally, he was sad when she told him that he couldn’t come, but understood that she needed a caretaker for the library. A short way along the road they met up with a large column of troops from Fillydelphia. The Fillydelphian commander proved to be a stout pony named Bullhead. Twilight could tell immediately what he thought of her being put in charge of the army. “Commander Bullhead, with a force of three thousand able-bodied ponies. We left the city with roughly a thousand more. As we speak they are attempting to conscript a further five thousand. Basic training should take roughly four weeks.” Twilight nodded, thankful he was wise enough to keep his feelings to himself. She was, however, growing concerned by the fact that they should have already met up with the Canterlot Guard. She decided to ask Bullhead if he had heard any word of them. “We have not met up with or even heard from the Canterlot Guard. Have you received any messages regarding them?” He seemed surprised by the news, which caused Twilight to become more anxious. “No, m’lady, we’ve not heard from them since they sent the original distress letter.” “We’ll have to continue on without them, then. They know where the rendezvous is, and they’re perfectly capable ponies. All the same, I think we should sent out more scouts; if they were caught in an ambush we should make sure not to do the same.” They resumed the march. Twilight spent her time on the march reviewing maps and possible plans with Scubbrush. Whenever they stopped for a break, Twilight sparred magically with Starbright. Though it was apparent that Starbright lacked the raw power of Twilight’s magic, she was more than able to win through clever application of force. She also taught Twilight about the importance of placing a thin magic shield around one’s body to prevent having one’s body controlled through telekinesis. She demonstrated this by making Twilight dance a ridiculous jig. Twilight proved to be a much faster learner than Starbright would have believed possible. It only took three rounds of sparring for Twilight to have her first win. The lavender mare had waited for Starbright to tense up as preparation for casting a series of bright bolts, which seemed to be her favorite trick for scoring small hits and distracting her opponent. When Twilight saw her begin to tense, the lavender mare had moved the ground beneath Starbright’s front hooves causing her to fall forward, scattering her concentration, and allowing Twilight to grab hold of her body. After that, Starbright increased her efforts to make sure Twilight never had it too easy. By the time they set up camp, however, Twilight could beat her even when she tried her hardest roughly half the time. As Twilight, Ploddington, her advisors, and Bullhead were convening for a final review of the day’s reports, a guard stepped inside to inform them that a scout had spotted a group of maybe three hundred ponies making their way towards the camp, many of them bearing serious wounds. They decided that the best course of action would be to go out and meet what were probably the remnants of the Canterlot Guard. Chapter 3The ponies were led by a grizzled unicorn who introduced himself as General Eisenhorn. His coat was a dark grey, dulled by dirt and flecks of blood. He wore a purple cloak, denoting his position as head of the Canterlot Arcanum as well as half the forces responsible for defending Canterlot and the surrounding area. Twilight knew him only by reputation as his duties often kept him busy dealing with dangerous criminals, making sure the scheduled weather would not have unforeseen consequences, and to a lesser extent, making sure magical secrets remained secret. What struck Twilight about his cloak, however, was the fact that it was tattered and ripped in many places. He also wore an eye-patch that looked quite new. She could see quite plainly that he had only a small portion of the number of ponies who had marched from Canterlot. “Where are your troops?” she asked, though the answer was clearly written on the injured soldiers, many of whom were being carried to the medical tent. “We were ambushed and betrayed. At least five hundred, about ten percent of my men, turned on us about an hour after we split off from General Donner. They seemed like normal ponies, but their teeth were jagged. Their eyes, too, seemed narrower. The worst part was how they seemed to be nothing more than husks for Devourers. All told, roughly twenty five hundred real ponies lost their lives. Of my elite unicorn squad, roughly one hundred are still capable of fighting. Another fifty will probably survive. We have another three hundred and fifty wounded soldiers with us, though I doubt more than a hundred of them will see the dawn. The rest of the troops were to burn the bodies while we went on ahead. They will follow behind us, catching up when possible. I have a constant relay of scouts coming and going.” Twilight closed her eyes. Nothing could have prepared her for this madness. Nopony knew that their foe had such capabilities, and she worried about what else they might not know. Not for the first time, she wished Celestia could be there to guide them. “Come with us to the war tent, so we can discuss the details of what happened.” She pondered what they should do. Their forces were far less than they should have been. She had an idea, though. It was only the beginning of a plan, but it seemed as good a place to start as any. She decided that she would bring it up at the end of the meeting. Most of the meeting was fairly straightforward with only a few minor disagreements. “I agree, we no longer have the capability to drive them out from the area around Trottingham. All civilians have left the city, and the guards should be able to hold out for months. I will have a messenger sent to let them know about the potential for spies. We should also send out messengers to any small towns telling them to go to the nearest city. Our troops can’t be spread thin if we want to win. Fillydelphia and Istanbull haven’t reported any sign of attacks yet; I recommend sending civilians there.” Ploddington’s ability to keep a cool head in such dire circumstances calmed Twilight down a little. “Now that that’s settled,” Twilight announced after seeing everypony nodding in agreement. “General Eisenhorn, you are the only one here who has actually fought these things. Please tell us what you’ve discovered about them.” He nodded. “Their general appearance is not so different from a large worm with legs. The main differences are the fact that they are several times larger than a pony, their maws are disproportionately large and filled with razor sharp teeth, and they can spit acid. I can personally attest to its ability to dissolve eyes. They are covered in an extremely hard carapace, but underneath that, they’re extremely vulnerable. Most puzzling is that they seem to be protected by some kind of magic; it doesn’t have any noticeable effect on physical or magical trauma, nor can it prevent anything from harming their fleshy bodies. The only thing it seems to do is prevent us from manipulating their bodies or minds with magic. It differs from a regular magical shield in one crucial way. We can batter and overpower a normal magical shield. With the Devourers, whenever we try to touch or attack the shield, our magic seems to just slide off. Fighting them is quite difficult since they can only be knocked off balance by extremely powerful forces due to their size and number of legs. They are also quite agile, making it dangerous for an earth or pegasus pony to get within striking distance. Even when they are hit, the carapace usually absorbs the blow. I recommend issuing rocks, lumps of metal, and javelins to every unicorn in the army. Thrown with enough force, the first blow will shatter a significant chunk of carapace. A follow up javelin or sharp rock ought to rip through their fleshy skin. Most hits to the skin are likely to cause massive bleeding and at least some nervous system damage. I also recommend building catapults and onagers so that non-unicorns don’t have to risk getting in close to score hits. Hooking spears to a pony’s armor will also allow them to greatly increase their effective range.” Twilight made a note to see Rarity about modifying armor straps to accommodate spears as well. “Thank you, General. There is only one thing we have left to discuss then: what should we do with our forces since Trottingham is out of the question. I think we should search for the princesses. With them, we could strike a devastating blow into enemy lines.” Bullhead bluntly rejected the idea. He believed that their time would be best spent striking at the enemy immediately, before clear battle lines could be drawn. Ploddington wanted to spend time shoring up the defences of the remaining cities and not going on the offensive until the strengths of both sides could be better ascertained. Starbright agreed with Bullhead’s idea, and Scrubbrush wanted to send most of their forces back to the cities while small strike teams conducted hit and run attacks on the enemy. Just as Twilight was beginning to think that this discussion was going to be the kind that dragged on for hours without solution, Eisenhorn cleared his throat, drawing everypoiny’s attention. “I agree with Lady Sparkle. We do not have the power to meet them in open battle, nor do I think we can properly damage them with small scale strikes. If we just sit behind city walls, we will eventually be overrun unless starvation takes us first. I spoke to Princess Celestia before she and her sister left. She said that they were going to deal a blow that would cripple the enemy. She said that her sister had discovered the location of the enemy’s ‘heart’ and that if they failed to destroy it, this war would quickly be over, and not in our favor. I think I know where they went, though I do not know why they have not returned. We would not be able to bring an army there, but a few of us would be perfectly capable of sneaking in. That is why I suggest sending our troops to defend the cities while I lead a small group to assassinate the enemy leader.” They all knew he spoke the truth, though several would have been loathe to admit it. The next subject for debate was how large the force should be and who all should go. Eisenhorn insisted that only powerful unicorns should be allowed to go with the only exceptions being a couple of pegasi to serve as emergency messengers. Bullhead’s protests were silenced only when the general pulled rank. Twilight was determined to go as well. She knew that she could make him accept her decision to join the expedition, but she decided instead to make him accept her based on something more logical than her rank, which she still felt uncomfortable using. “This mission will be extremely dangerous; there is a good chance we won’t survive. You haven’t even gone through basic training. On top of that, the army is going to need somepony to organize everything. I can’t stop you from coming with us, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Twilight noted that he held no tone of condescension in his voice, nor did she think he was acting. Even if he didn’t think that she was up to the task, at least he wasn’t simply brushing her off for superficial reasons. Twilight herself wasn’t even sure that she should go. “For what it’s worth, sir, in the past day alone, Twilight has proved to be an excellent commander, and she’s probably one of the best magic users in the army, possibly excluding some of your best ponies.” Twilight smiled a bit when Starbright came to her defence. Just as Twilight was preparing to make her own case as to why she should be on the team, there was an uproar from outside. There was a scream shortly followed by the sound of somepony slamming into the ground. After that, noise seemed to erupt all over the camp. They all jumped to their feet in time to watch one of Twilight’s guards, one of the pegasi, slam into the table with a sickening crunch. The cuts on her body told everyone present exactly what had attacked her. They all rushed outside, mentally preparing for battle. Chapter 4Books and Eisenhorn’s description couldn’t have prepared Twilight for the reality of the Devourers. Even with most of its legs on the ground, the one before her easily topped twelve feet. Its body was coloured a sort of off-white contrasting with its darkly coloured legs. What attracted her attention the most was the rows of glistening, blood-stained teeth. She also noticed that it seemed to have no eyes, ears, or any other type of sensory organ. All the same, it turned towards her, and she felt certain that it knew where and WHO she was. It had been slamming itself against a shield put up by the last member of Twilight’s bodyguard, whose complexion suggested that her strength was nearing its end. It charged, and Twilight panicked. Doing the only thing she could think of, she encased it in a magic bubble. It bashed against its newfound prison, attempted to bore through it, and doused it in acid. Twilight could feel the slight drain of holding the spell against its onslaught, but for some reason, it didn’t seem to drain her magic the way her studies suggested it should. She snapped out of her musings when she heard Bullhead let out a warcry. She watched as he charged a Devourer that was busy dodging rocks. It had clearly not been too successful as its shell was broken open in a number of places, green blood oozing from one particularly large hole near the thing’s head. She watched as he leaped, turned around, and delivered an impressive double kick to the already horrific wound. There was a snap followed by an unholy screech of pain. The beast toppled, blood spewing from its neck, its upper spine bent at a sharp angle. A particularly vicious hit to her shield brought her attention back to her captive, who seemed to have become enraged, lashing out viciously at the thin, largely translucent bubble preventing it from ripping its intended victim apart. She spotted several large crates nearby, picked them up, and hurtled them towards the beast before releasing it from its prison. The creature let out a mighty roar, thinking it had finally defeated its magical tormentor. The cry turned to one of anger as the heavy crates slammed into it, knocking it off balance, and pinning several of its legs. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Twilight picked up several nearby tent poles and threw them towards the monster. The poles that had held up the war tent were heavy and made of iron; they were also quite sharp. Three of them found their mark, and the beast was slain. Twilight had taken a life. At that moment she wanted to do nothing more than sit there and ponder what it was she felt, this curious mixture of sadness and relief, but she knew that she would not have that luxury in a battle. She steeled herself, resolving not to cry, not until it had ended. Elsewhere in the camp, things were not going so well. The army was comprised largely of non-unicorns, which meant that against such a physically fearsome foe, they had little chance. Many had simply fled when the fighting began, many more had been cut down before they had a chance to react. The hospital, supply wagons, and kitchen were all on side of the camp furthest from the action. It was because of this, that Twilight’s friends were able to get many of the wounded ponies away from the camp, taking with them anyone who could not fight. Were it not for the elements of harmony, the number of casualties likely would have been even higher. About half an hour after the fight began, Twilight and the other generals were beginning to see that the battle was going poorly. Twilight, Eisenhorn, and Ploddington worked together to cover themselves, Starbright, Scrubbrush, and about a dozen other ponies who happened to be nearby with a large shield. Bullhead was nowhere to be seen. “The battle is lost. We have to retreat!” shouted Ploddington. Eisenhorn nodded. “You should take whoever you can find and meet up with the reinforcements. They should only be a couple hours away. After that, head for Fillydelphia. I see three of my best soldiers in here with us. I’ll take them and Twilight to find Celestia.” “Um, everypony, we need to hurry. They’re starting to take notice of us.” Twilight allowed a twinge of fear into her voice as she said that. Eisenhorn cleared his throat before shouting, “Blaze! Nightbreeze! Rustle! To me! We’ve got a mission, so let’s get the buck out of here.” He turned to Twilight before adding “We run for the trees on the count of three. Everypony else, follow Ploddington’s orders, unless you want to be a snack for those oversized worms.” Everyone tensed as he counted down. When he reached one, all hell broke loose. As the shield popped out of existence, the Devourers rushed forward only to be met by a series of explosive blasts. As Twilight ran, she thought she saw Bullhead, covered in gashes and wounds that should have stopped him long before, bearing down on one of the abominations that had been caught by the brunt of the explosion. His face was battered and bruised, but the fury in his eyes told Twilight that he would not stop until his heart did, and she began to cry. Even as they ran for their lives, Twilight cried for those who had died. She cried for all those she could not save. She felt helpless, unable to save anyone. In that moment, she wished for nothing more than the power to save those who were suffering. They ran for what seemed like hours, stopping only when they reached a forest. Eisenhorn called a halt so that they could proceed carefully through the forest. Twilight obeyed his orders, recognizing that his experience was far more important than court formalities out in the middle of the forest. They continued on into the forest despite the fact that it was pitch black by that point. There was no moon that night, which only made navigating the thick underbrush that much harder. Eventually, they were exhausted and had to rest. Eisenhorn called a brief meeting to explain what was happening to the other three unicorns. He also informed them that they would likely reach their destination shortly after leaving in the morning. They set up several detection spells to warn them of intruders and went to sleep, all of them huddled together to keep warm. They were still hungry, but at least they wouldn’t freeze. They set out again around mid morning. By sheer luck they managed to find some edible berries about an hour later. With food in their bellies, they set out with renewed vigor. Suddenly, the dense underbrush gave way to reveal a massive pit. In the middle of the massive pit, which must have stretched out at least a kilometer in each direction, was a mound. It wasn’t just a mound, however; despite being a massive hunk of rock, there were clearly identifiable features. The whole thing seemed to be shaped like a massive head, eager to swallow anyone foolish enough to enter. Fortunately, there was an easy path leading to it, though Twilight wondered if that just meant they would be sealing their fate sooner. The general didn’t leave them long to ponder the scale of things, instead urging them onwards. They would be out in the open until they got inside, and that worried him. They walked in silence, despite the fact that the time for stealth had passed, but then, what was there to say? They were walking into what ought to be the most dangerous place in the world. They were there to kill the leader of an entire race of horrifying monsters. Twilight knew it was utterly mad. It was so mad, she let out a laugh. Before long, she was laughing hysterically. Though the fit passed momentarily, her eyes kept a wild look about them. The others made no comment about her outburst, but they made sure to distance themselves a bit. An involuntary shudder passed through the group as they passed under the opening. It was dark inside, but they simply conjured some magical light. As they descended into the depths they began to wonder why they met no resistance at all. When they got a bit further down, the cavern suddenly opened up. What they saw struck them with awe. There was an entire city, carved from the earth below the surface. The architecture was strangely alien. Where pony architecture was defined by straight lines and distinct geometric figures, the Devourer city seemed more like a hive. Though there were clearly identifiable structures, the whole thing seemed to be connected with everything leading to the center. It was there at the very center of the city that the ponies could see what they had come so far to find. Two figures were locked in battle with a massive creature in the midst of what might have once been a mighty stronghold, now reduced to rubble along with much of its surroundings. Their flowing manes identified them as the missing princesses, though Twilight could not even begin to comprehend how it was possible to fight for over a day without rest. For the first time since fleeing the chaos at the camp, they broke into a gallop. Chapter 5As they neared the battleground, Twilight sensed an enormous buildup of energy. She managed to put up a shield just in time as a massive burst of energy spread outwards from the horrible creature, threatening to tear apart anything it hit. It was then that they heard it speak. “Who dares defile my citadel?! I recognize you, you who killed my children. How dare you come here! This will be your tomb; my children will feast upon your corpses!” Twilight sensed another buildup of energy surrounding the horror. “Twilight?!” Celestia had finally noticed the new arrivals, though Luna seemed to be concentrating on something else. “What are you all doing here? It’s too dangerous! Run while you can!” “Too late.” There was a low rumbling that grew steadily louder. The ground beneath them seemed to shake. There was a loud crack, and the ceiling above the entrance collapsed. Many tons of rock cascaded down over the entrance, sealing it. Luna’s horn began to shine. A shadow seemed to emerge from it in the shape of a gigantic bat. The bat flew towards the best and exploded in a cloud of darkness which seemed to wrap its tendrils around the creature as if trying to drag it down into the earth. It laughed cruelly as if considering them no more harmful than a bear might find a fly. “I grow bored with this game. I think it is time I started playing in earnest.” Even as he finished speaking, he began to radiate pulses of energy. Though they had all huddled together and pooled their strength to form one shield, the toll it was taking became evident mere moments after it began. After two minutes of being unable to do anything but stand there trying to resist it, the unicorns Eisenhorn had brought with him fell down exhausted, unable to contribute more to without running the risk of suicide. The general himself was beginning to look worn, his years of experience the only thing keeping him from collapsing. Twilight had fallen to her knees for support but kept up the flow of magic. Even Celestia had abandoned her normally calm demeanor, though she remained resolutely on her feet. Luna broke off her contribution to the spell and tried to shout above the roar of the tempest around them. “Sister! We feel that the only possible way to win is to call upon him.” Celestia sighed and closed her eyes. “Doing so could cause the destruction of Equestria; you know that, Luna!” “If we do nothing, Equestria WILL be destroyed!” Luna countered, a look of determination on her face, betrayed only by the fear and pleading in her eyes. “You understand what the price will be, don’t you?” “I have been considering it since they arrived.” Luna said sorrowfully. Celestia turned to Twilight “My faithful student, what would you give to save Equestria?” Twilight did not have to consider the answer. “Anything!” “Luna, show Twilight the spell we will cast. Show her everything.” Luna nodded and walked over to Twilight. “I am sorry, little one. There are things nopony should see.” Her horn began to glow softly and Twilight felt her consciousness fall into what first seemed like a painting. She recognized the sensation of being shown a memory, though she didn’t think that she’d ever get used to the sensation. They were in a beautiful garden. The garden was ringed on three sides by tall walls and a castle on the fourth. In the middle of the garden was a patio. It was the sort of place which might, under normal circumstances, be home to a dinner party or some such gathering. But these circumstances were anything but normal. All the furniture had been removed and in its place, a large stone circle had been placed. On the slab, seven concentric circles had been carved and between the circles, Twilight could see runes. In the very center of the circle sat five iron chains. Though Twilight did not recognize most of the runes, those she could see told her that this was not going to be a pleasant memory. Moments later, she watched as two Alicorns and a dragon walked out of the castle, accompanied by dozens of guards and a white unicorn. The unicorn was in the center of the throng and clearly the object of everyone’s attention. Everyone gathered had a look of anger, resentment, or fear on their face, everyone except the white unicorn whose face contained only boredom. He walked into the center of the circle, and as he did so, the chains sprang to life. One joined itself to each of his paws, the last one hooking onto the red collar that encircled his neck. “Are we all prepared?” asked one of the Alicorns, who was orange and sounded not unlike Celestia. “Neigh, sister of ours.” Replied the other Alicorn, sounding similar to Luna despite having a deeply purple coat instead of the blue familiar to Twilight. “Twilight, do you understand what is about to happen? I realize most of those runes should be meaningless to you.” Twilight mentally jumped when she heard Luna’s, and it was definitely Luna’s, voice. “I think so. I see symbols of binding and prevention, but they aren’t quite the same as the ones I know.” “That does not surprise us, er, me; the ones you know are for inanimate objects, making sure things stick together, sealing liquids in a jar, etcetera. These are not things we allow the general populace to use for their power is in bending another pony to your will or limiting her power. Their use is only for the most heinous of crimes, often in cases where the death penalty has also been considered. Do you know the significance of the circles?” “I know that some powerful spells recommend drawing a circle and writing runes inside of it, though nopony seems to know why. The common theory is that drawing a circle helps one visualize a stable flow of magic.” Though Twilight could not see it, Luna could not help but smirk at that. “No, Twilight, the circle is itself a rune. Lesser magics can be performed without it, but the energy cost is much greater. Greater magics require one because the amount of magical energy needed increases exponentially with spell complexity. Knowing when to use a circle is important and far more complicated in practice than that, but we don’t have a lot of time. As a rule of thumb, don’t use a circle when it isn’t necessary and the more circles a spell requires, the more terrifying its power. This is one of a handful of occasions where a spell has required more than three circles. To put it into perspective, binding you in this manner would require only a single circle, and you would be more completely subdued than he is about to be.” “Who is he” she asked, filled with awe and suddenly afraid, having begun to piece together what Luna wanted them to do. “He is one th—” Luna stopped mid-sentence. “He is an ancient being. That is all you need to know for now. Watch this next part, it’s important.” The ceremony below had been going on for a couple of minutes now, though no significant changes had happened. Then the orange Alicorn stopped her incantation. The white unicorn seemed to glow; there was a flash, and when the flash had passed, the white unicorn had vanished. In its place stood an identical pony, but the new one was pitch black and seemed somehow less substantial than before, like a silhouette or a shadow of the original. The eyes had changed, too. Where before they had been a faint green, they were now red. Then he spoke. “None of you shall live much longer, for I have seen your dyings. This very ground I curse as I pass from this world. May you all suffer great pain for destroying my world!” With those last words, the area around his horn seemed to become darker, and the chains that held him began to shine brightly. Several guards dropped to their knees, holding their heads as though experiencing great pain. The Alicorns and the dragon merely looked discomforted. The greatest change, however, was to the plants that grew in the garden. Suddenly, the trees seemed to grow more twisted, and the flowers began to curve maliciously while sprouting thorns. Twilight could see beyond the walls as well. She watched as a small forest of sinister trees sprang up right in front of her eyes. After that the memory began to fade, reality once again coming into focus. The last thing Twilight heard before snapping back to real life was: “Today, we are going to release him from his bonds.” Chapter 6Twilight stared at the princesses with wild eyes and began to laugh the same way she had earlier “haha, you’ve gone mad as well. We’ve all gone completely mad.” Luna smacked her hard. “We have NOT gone mad! Nor will we release him completely. It would not be the first time he has been called upon to serve us. It is part of his punishment.” Twilight, though trembling from being hit, seemed to have regained some of her composure. “But how will we even summon him. You intend to use me as a host to make it easier, but that means you also have one fewer caster. You, me, and Celestia would already be hard pressed to do the spell ourselves, and she has to maintain the shield!” “You already know what we intend to get the energy.” Luna said coldly. At that, realization washed over Twilight. “No. I won’t help you do that. It’s monstrous! THEY’LL DIE!” she shouted, though her voice contained far more pleading than anger. It was not Luna who replied this time, but Eisenhorn. “M’lady, with all due respect, you will help her do that. Yes, we’ll die, but that’s alright. If we don’t do it, we’ll die anyway, and that fiends demonic children will eat us. We’d rather move on and see the friends we’ve already lost, knowing our sacrifice will help than stubbornly cling to some stupid ideal and suffer more for it. Sometimes, you can’t save everypony. Sometimes, ponies die.” Twilight bowed her head, tears streaming from her eyes. Luna took this as a tacit acceptance and began to draw a circle around the lavender mare. The rest of her preparations took but a moment more. The spell itself was fairly simple, since it was really just invoking a clause in a different spell. All the same, the amount of energy needed would certainly consume the four unicorns who had accompanied Twilight. In addition, it would leave Luna incredibly weak for several days. Celestia’s only acknowledgement of the world during all this was a grunt and a single tear. Luna spoke the word that would invoke the magic, and silently prayed that she wasn’t making things worse. Twilight felt the Other’s presence flooding into her body. It seemed to take an eternity but really only took a second or two. As the Other’s mind began to take control of her limbs, Twilight tried to fight it off. “Stop!” It commanded. Twilight felt compelled to obey it, even as part of her screamed in protest. Soon she was completely unable to sense anything with her body, a sensation that caused her to panic. “If you calm down, you would realize that you can still sense things with your mind,” the Other said drolly. “What are you?” asked twilight’s mind. “I am a pony, more or less. That’s not really important right now, though. You do know that your princess is on the verge of losing, don’t you?” he said. At least, Twilight thought it was a he. She wasn’t entirely certain how gender worked when one was possessing minds and bodies. “Would you like me to save her? To be quite honest, I don’t really care how this ends so long as I get to have a bit of fun.” “I thought you had to obey us!” The Other chuckled. “Well, it’s true that I’m not really free. I am required to kill that thing at some point. I also have to make sure that neither you nor the princesses die for real, but that leaves me a lot of options. For one thing, I could keep them barely alive for years, as they are eaten over and over again by those stupid pests. I can also make you watch the whole thing. Still, that sounds pretty disgusting, so I won’t do that, probably. Besides, it may sound strange, but I miss being in my cell; it’s next to a library, and He lets me do as I please, mostly.” Twilight was disturbed by the calm almost bored way he talked about watching people be tortured for years on end and was even more frightened by the thought of having to watch it. She began to suspect, however, that despite his words he really was going to help and that he was mostly saying such things to tease her. She also considered the fact that she might have gone mad yesterday, and this whole thing was a horrible hallucination. “So, you’ll help us?” she chanced. “Hmm, maybe.” He responded dispassionately. “On the one hoof, I could make you all beg, but on the other, you did just sacrifice four innocent ponies to bring me here. It would be rude of me to simply refuse to help. Indeed, it would quite go against the laws of hospitality. Rules are rules, you know.” Twilight began to wonder if even her imaginings were going mad. “Very well, I’ll squish the bug. I’ll even let you take a peep through these eyes and ears since you were kind enough to talk to me; it’s been about a thousand years since I got to talk to anyone other than that old windbag.” True to his word, Twilight could suddenly see and hear again, though she had no control over anything. The first thing she saw was Luna passed out on the ground. “Don’t worry, she’s quite alright, if a bit plum tuckered out.” Next her gaze drifted towards Celestia who was visibly straining to hold the barrier at this point. “Hello, sweet Princess Celestia.” He said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Do allow me to take that off your hooves.” The shield around them vanished, and Princess Celestia dropped to her knees from exhaustion. Despite there being no visible barrier the monster’s strikes still failed to reach them. Now, instead of slamming into and washing over the barrier, each blast simply diffused as it got close to them. The only indication of any magic being a faint glow around Twilight’s horn. The beast began to scream at them. If it had tried to speak words, they were lost in a roar of anger. It increased the amount of energy pouring out of it. Twilight could see that the city surrounding them was rapidly being reduced to rubble. The increased effort did not seem to phase the Other. His reaction was, quite simply, to yawn and scratch his nose, well, Twilight’s nose. “You’ve bored me. You’re also too loud.” Twilight’s horn began to glow brighter. Suddenly, the monster found itself casually picked up. For the first time, Twilight could see its shape clearly defined. It had no clear relation to the disgusting creatures they had fought the night before, being a dull black rather than a shade of white. It was shaped much like an elongated dragon, though instead of spines on its back, there was a writhing mass of tentacles, and its tail held more resemblance to a scythe than the spear-like tails most dragons had. It contorted trying to fight the magic holding it up, then it began to scream. Twilight could not understand what was happening at first. Then she heard the snap. The screaming stopped immediately. The body dropped to the group, limp. The Other teleported them to Canterlot Castle. The palace was a wreck from the attack. Over the next few days, the Other used his magic to repair much of the castle and the town. When he wasn’t cleaning up, he was in the library looking at books that had been written since his last trip to Equestria. When the horrible creature in the colony had died, all of the other Devourers had lost their minds and begun to attack one another. Shortly after, ponies began to make their way back home. The Other wrote a letter on Twilight’s behalf to her friends explaining that she was alright and that she just had to help around Canterlot for a few days. Celestia had recovered enough to address the people the day after their battle in the underground city. All in all, things were getting back to normal, though no pony would ever forget about the lives lost in what would come to be called “The Second War of the Mountain”. Then, as things were settling down and Twilight had become used to being merely an observer in her own life, the Other announced that he was leaving. “It’s been fun, little one, but I have to be going. It isn’t a good idea to leave one’s body for extended periods of time. Don’t worry about the spell to send me back, it’s trivial for me.” “Wait, you still haven’t told me who you are. Every time I’ve asked, you just brush it off and find something else to do. Why won’t you tell me?” “Twilight, that’s a story for another time. Come see me face to face, and I’ll tell you.” “I thought that was impossible.” “Nothing is impossible; some things simply aren’t worth the price.” “That isn’t an answer. At least tell me what you did to get imprisoned for thousands of years.” He sighed. “Very well, the short version of it is simple: I killed somepony and started a war. Pretty common occurrence in those days, actually. I was not a normal pony though, which is why they bound and sealed me. I’m no longer allowed to travel where I will or do much magic of consequence. The long of it can wait. If you want to know so badly, come find me.” And with that, he popped back out of the world, leaving Twilight with a sudden rush of feeling. Not being accustomed to standing up for the past few days, she simply toppled over. She decided to see the Princess before heading back to Ponyville, eager to see her friends. She found the Princess in her private quarters filling out and signing paperwork. Celestia gave a faint smile and invited her over. “I see our guest has gone home.” She commented. Twilight walked over, still a little unsteady. The lavender mare sat down next to the Princess. “Princess, how do you carry on? You’ve seen so much more of these wars than I have. How can anypony go through that and still be alright?” The tears began to flow faster than they had at any point during the war. “Because I know I have to. I have to be alright so that those I care about can continue on as well. But you don’t have to suffer alone. Talk to your friends, let them know how much you care, and remember those who are no longer here. It is for their sake that we continue on.” For a while neither of them said anything, Twilight simply leaning on the Princess as if trying to disappear into her coat. Six months later, the world had largely recovered from the initial shock of the war, the last reminders of those gone from the world were the rows of fresh headstones in every cemetery. Twilight and her friends had been reunited, each one of them glad to see she was unharmed. Slowly, Equestria’s wounds were healing.
Chapter 1Sirens blared in the middle of the night. Ponies were running everywhere, many of them crying out in confusion. The Equestrian Royal Guard were doing their best to contain the madness, but there were simply too few of them assigned to the evacuation. They worried that they may not be able to get everyone prepared in time. They were running out of time. Twilight awoke shortly after the first siren sounded. She wearily clambered out of bed wondering if it was a drill or if somepony had disturbed one of the large and dangerous creatures living in the Everfree Forest, something which seemed to happen far more often than it logically should. It took her a moment to register what was different about this time: there were ponies shouting orders. Twilight snapped awake, suddenly aware that something was wrong. By this point, Spike had made his way up the stairs to her room. “Spike, grab the emergency kit and meet me at the town hall; I’m going on ahead to see what I can do to help!” Before Spike could inform her that he had already grabbed the emergency kit, she disappeared with a snap and the distinctive flash of magic. Sighing, Spike trudged towards the door. Twilight reappeared outside the town hall and looked around for someone who appeared to be in charge. It took her only a moment to see who was handing out orders, but it took her several minutes to make her way through the crowd of confused ponies who had gathered, many of them looking scared. She noticed that the guard forces seemed grossly insufficient to deal with the number of inhabitants in Ponyville. Eventually, she pushed through the throng made it up to the officer in charge. “Um, excuse me, sir, I’m Twilight Sparkle. Is there anything I can do to help?” She thought he was about to shout at the guards to have her taken away, but then he seemed to remember something. “Ah, miss Sarkle, a pleasure, I’m sure. Several of your friends are waiting in the Town Hall. Officer Jowels will see you inside. I’m General Ploddington, by the way.” At the mention of Officer Jowles a pony, who Twilight took to be the stallion in question, appeared and made a respectful nod towards her. Taking this as her cue, she followed him into the town hall. Inside, she found most of her friends gathered around a large, wooden table. She saw Pinky Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy. She assumed that Applejack had not yet arrived since Sweet Apple Acres was a good bit further than anypony else’s house. Most of them looked tired; Twilight even thought she could see a hair out of place in Rarity’s mane. Pinky Pie, of course, was as enthusiastic as always. “Oh hey Twilight! I’m so glad you could come to this midnight-madness pony pajama party!” “Hi girls, um, do any of you actually know why we’re in here? Have they told you anything?” she asked, stifling a yawn. It was Rainbow Dash who volunteered an answer, “Nope, they haven’t told us a single thing. They just told us to wait in here while they get the rest of us. Just sitting here is driving me CRAZY!” Just then they heard the door opening again. A clearly out of breath Applejack trotted inside along with General Ploddington. “Sorry ahm late, everypony. Things are a little hectic down at the farm.” The general cleared his throat, “If you’d please take a seat, I can tell you all why you’re here and why Ponyville is in an uproar.” He waited a moment for Applejack to make her way around the table. “Equestria itself is under attack by a foe we believed to be extinct. Canterlot was hit the hardest; the princesses are still fighting there to continue to buy time for the surviving civilians. They are on the move throughout Equestria and the Royal Guard is stretched thin dealing with them.” “Who would want to attack Equestria?” Twilight asked. “From the reports we’ve gathered, it would appear to be Devourers. They were last seen in Equestria roughly 500 years ago. After the War of the Mountain, we believed they had been wiped out.” There was a noticeable silence in the room. They all knew about the wars of the past, even if such things seemed quite foreign to their peaceful existence. Indeed, the War of the Mountain was the last major conflict that Equestria had been involved in. It was Rainbow Dash who seemed to recover from the shocking news first. “Well, what are we waiting here for?! We have to go and help the princesses!” “I have gathered you all here because Princess Celestia wrote this letter for you all before she went to hold them off. I do not know its contents, only that she entrusted me to bring it to all of you. Allow me to read it.” “Dear Elements of Harmony, I hope this letter reaches you quickly as the situation is dire. As I write this Canterlot is under siege by an old enemy. They are much stronger than the ones we fought in the past, and they may be more numerous as well. I would like each of you to lend your talents to aid in our struggle. Luna and I will be along as quick as we can, but there is a task that we must complete before we can help everypony finish this brutal conflict. Fluttershy, I know you are too gentle a soul to take a life, but that does not mean you cannot help your friends. That is why I want you to help the in the field hospital. Many creatures other than ponies will be involved in this conflict, and we simply do not have enough ponies trained to help them. Help those that you can, and ease the passing of those you cannot. Rainbow Dash, you are one of the fastest fliers in all of Equestria. I would like you to help scout areas from the air and report enemy locations to our troops. I know you will never abandon your fellow ponies, so I ask you to help them avoid the traps and snares our enemies lay before us. Pinky Pie, I would like you to lend your baking skills to the Royal Canteen and your cheer to the soldiers themselves. Soldiers need food just as regular ponies, but they also need somepony who can cheer them up after seeing the horrors of war. As the Element of Laughter, you are uniquely suited to helping them keep their hopes alive. Rarity, you are one of the most productive and creative dressmakers in the land. While we have little need for dresses on the battlefield, we DO have plenty of need for camouflage and warm clothes for fighting in colder areas. You have shown yourself quite capable of making large quantities of clothing. There will be plenty of ponies who need their armor lined with fur. There will also be plenty of broken straps. It’s not the most glamorous of jobs, but it must be done, and I believe that you will help save somepony’s life. Applejack, I would like you to help guard the supply trains. They are invaluable to our armies. In addition, I trust that you would never attempt to manipulate or unjustly profit from such a critical task. I hope that you will live up to all my expectations. And to my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, it is from you I require the greatest sacrifice. I am asking you to actually lead ponies into battle against what is truly one of Equestria’s most fearsome foes. I will not lie to you; you will be horrified by what you will see. It may be that you will never forgive yourself for what will come to pass in these next few days. I understand the position I am placing you into, and I am sorry. I would gladly hide you from all the horrors of the world so that you might never know the guilt that comes with making impossible decisions or experience the night terrors that accompany failure. It is with a heavy heart that I promote you to the rank of High-General. Accompanying this rank is the title of Duchess. You answer only to Luna and myself, nopony else will question your choices. I trust you will use your newfound influence to end this war as well as can be done. Above all else, I want you all to remember to never give up hope. Even when things are at their worst, look towards the future; so long as you draw breath, so does hope. -Her Royal Majesty, Celestia
Chapter 2If it had been quiet when the general had announced that they were at war, it was now completely silent. Most of the mares had begun to look at themselves as the Princess’ words were read, but when Twilight had received her orders they all turned their heads to stare in awe at the newly anointed Lady. Twilight was shocked, and for a long moment she just seemed to be looking at the floor with a look of total confusion on her face, as if she expected to wake up at any moment and discover that all of this was merely a horrible dream. When it seemed that no such comfort would come, she slowly closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When she opened them again, there was a look of determination on her face. “I don’t know if I’m really up to the task, but if Celestia believes I can do it, then I must try my best. General, I need you to bring me up to date on everything that’s happened. We’ll also need some help to get my friends to where they’re needed. How long will it take?” “Jowels will be able to take miss Dash to the Scoutmaster. Applejack and Pinky should also follow him, as he has a letter to deliver to the head of logistics anyway. Fluttershy, you should go home and gather anything you need to treat animals then come back here. The hospitals are still being set up, so I’ll have one of the other doctors come by later to fill you in. Miss Rarity, you need only go up the stairs behind you, and take the third door on the right. Now, m’lady, if you would kindly follow me into that room back there we can begin giving you the reports.” Ploddington seemed to have simply accepted that the purple mare in front of him had just gone from commoner to one of the most influential ponies in a matter of seconds. Twilight suspected there was something in his disciplined nature that kept him from lashing out against what many other ponies would see as blatant favoritism. What bothered her most about that inevitable accusation was the fact that she couldn’t really deny it. When she realized that she had drifted off in her thoughts and that everypony was now staring at her, she couldn’t help but blush and lower her head a bit. Somewhat sheepishly, she followed the general into what was normally the mayor’s office while her friends split off to go and fulfill their own tasks. There was very little to go over as far as the actual conflict was concerned since it had begun mere hours earlier. Instead they spent a lot of time going over Twilight’s daily duties, reviewing the structure of the army, and finding suitable advisors. Twilight would have greatly enjoyed having one of her friends near her, but she understood that they had their own places to be. Understanding, however, did little to lessen the pain she felt at being separated from all of her friends. Eventually, they decided that her advisors would consist of a unicorn mare named Starbright and an earth pony mare named Scrubbrush, and she would be assigned a personal guard of four earth ponies, four pegasi, and two unicorns. Since her education in the field of military tactics was fairly limited and her knowledge of battle magic frightfully absent, her advisors would also be functioning as tutors. When most of the logistical stuff had been sorted out, Ploddington spread a large map over the mayor’s desk. It was a detailed map of Equestria marked with all manner of lines and symbols. Ploddington began to explain the symbols, and before long Twilight began to see how their forces were laid out, where the supply lines were, and where the enemy was believed to be. Periodically, there would be a knock on the door as some report or other would come in. Most of the reports contained bad news: units being ambushed, patrols going missing, civilians being found slaughtered, and in one particularly bad report an entire village in which every single pony had been killed and the bodies abused, many beyond recognition. That was the first time during the war that Twilight wept openly, wept for all of the ponies she could not save. General Ploddington said no words, but as the reports came in, his face seemed to age and grow profoundly sad. The war had taken them completely unawares, and everypony was paying the price. The next day they left Ponyville behind with a token garrison. All civilians had been advised to be ready to leave at any moment. Twilight found a brief moment to tell Spike what had happened. Naturally, he was sad when she told him that he couldn’t come, but understood that she needed a caretaker for the library. A short way along the road they met up with a large column of troops from Fillydelphia. The Fillydelphian commander proved to be a stout pony named Bullhead. Twilight could tell immediately what he thought of her being put in charge of the army. “Commander Bullhead, with a force of three thousand able-bodied ponies. We left the city with roughly a thousand more. As we speak they are attempting to conscript a further five thousand. Basic training should take roughly four weeks.” Twilight nodded, thankful he was wise enough to keep his feelings to himself. She was, however, growing concerned by the fact that they should have already met up with the Canterlot Guard. She decided to ask Bullhead if he had heard any word of them. “We have not met up with or even heard from the Canterlot Guard. Have you received any messages regarding them?” He seemed surprised by the news, which caused Twilight to become more anxious. “No, m’lady, we’ve not heard from them since they sent the original distress letter.” “We’ll have to continue on without them, then. They know where the rendezvous is, and they’re perfectly capable ponies. All the same, I think we should sent out more scouts; if they were caught in an ambush we should make sure not to do the same.” They resumed the march. Twilight spent her time on the march reviewing maps and possible plans with Scubbrush. Whenever they stopped for a break, Twilight sparred magically with Starbright. Though it was apparent that Starbright lacked the raw power of Twilight’s magic, she was more than able to win through clever application of force. She also taught Twilight about the importance of placing a thin magic shield around one’s body to prevent having one’s body controlled through telekinesis. She demonstrated this by making Twilight dance a ridiculous jig. Twilight proved to be a much faster learner than Starbright would have believed possible. It only took three rounds of sparring for Twilight to have her first win. The lavender mare had waited for Starbright to tense up as preparation for casting a series of bright bolts, which seemed to be her favorite trick for scoring small hits and distracting her opponent. When Twilight saw her begin to tense, the lavender mare had moved the ground beneath Starbright’s front hooves causing her to fall forward, scattering her concentration, and allowing Twilight to grab hold of her body. After that, Starbright increased her efforts to make sure Twilight never had it too easy. By the time they set up camp, however, Twilight could beat her even when she tried her hardest roughly half the time. As Twilight, Ploddington, her advisors, and Bullhead were convening for a final review of the day’s reports, a guard stepped inside to inform them that a scout had spotted a group of maybe three hundred ponies making their way towards the camp, many of them bearing serious wounds. They decided that the best course of action would be to go out and meet what were probably the remnants of the Canterlot Guard.
Chapter 3The ponies were led by a grizzled unicorn who introduced himself as General Eisenhorn. His coat was a dark grey, dulled by dirt and flecks of blood. He wore a purple cloak, denoting his position as head of the Canterlot Arcanum as well as half the forces responsible for defending Canterlot and the surrounding area. Twilight knew him only by reputation as his duties often kept him busy dealing with dangerous criminals, making sure the scheduled weather would not have unforeseen consequences, and to a lesser extent, making sure magical secrets remained secret. What struck Twilight about his cloak, however, was the fact that it was tattered and ripped in many places. He also wore an eye-patch that looked quite new. She could see quite plainly that he had only a small portion of the number of ponies who had marched from Canterlot. “Where are your troops?” she asked, though the answer was clearly written on the injured soldiers, many of whom were being carried to the medical tent. “We were ambushed and betrayed. At least five hundred, about ten percent of my men, turned on us about an hour after we split off from General Donner. They seemed like normal ponies, but their teeth were jagged. Their eyes, too, seemed narrower. The worst part was how they seemed to be nothing more than husks for Devourers. All told, roughly twenty five hundred real ponies lost their lives. Of my elite unicorn squad, roughly one hundred are still capable of fighting. Another fifty will probably survive. We have another three hundred and fifty wounded soldiers with us, though I doubt more than a hundred of them will see the dawn. The rest of the troops were to burn the bodies while we went on ahead. They will follow behind us, catching up when possible. I have a constant relay of scouts coming and going.” Twilight closed her eyes. Nothing could have prepared her for this madness. Nopony knew that their foe had such capabilities, and she worried about what else they might not know. Not for the first time, she wished Celestia could be there to guide them. “Come with us to the war tent, so we can discuss the details of what happened.” She pondered what they should do. Their forces were far less than they should have been. She had an idea, though. It was only the beginning of a plan, but it seemed as good a place to start as any. She decided that she would bring it up at the end of the meeting. Most of the meeting was fairly straightforward with only a few minor disagreements. “I agree, we no longer have the capability to drive them out from the area around Trottingham. All civilians have left the city, and the guards should be able to hold out for months. I will have a messenger sent to let them know about the potential for spies. We should also send out messengers to any small towns telling them to go to the nearest city. Our troops can’t be spread thin if we want to win. Fillydelphia and Istanbull haven’t reported any sign of attacks yet; I recommend sending civilians there.” Ploddington’s ability to keep a cool head in such dire circumstances calmed Twilight down a little. “Now that that’s settled,” Twilight announced after seeing everypony nodding in agreement. “General Eisenhorn, you are the only one here who has actually fought these things. Please tell us what you’ve discovered about them.” He nodded. “Their general appearance is not so different from a large worm with legs. The main differences are the fact that they are several times larger than a pony, their maws are disproportionately large and filled with razor sharp teeth, and they can spit acid. I can personally attest to its ability to dissolve eyes. They are covered in an extremely hard carapace, but underneath that, they’re extremely vulnerable. Most puzzling is that they seem to be protected by some kind of magic; it doesn’t have any noticeable effect on physical or magical trauma, nor can it prevent anything from harming their fleshy bodies. The only thing it seems to do is prevent us from manipulating their bodies or minds with magic. It differs from a regular magical shield in one crucial way. We can batter and overpower a normal magical shield. With the Devourers, whenever we try to touch or attack the shield, our magic seems to just slide off. Fighting them is quite difficult since they can only be knocked off balance by extremely powerful forces due to their size and number of legs. They are also quite agile, making it dangerous for an earth or pegasus pony to get within striking distance. Even when they are hit, the carapace usually absorbs the blow. I recommend issuing rocks, lumps of metal, and javelins to every unicorn in the army. Thrown with enough force, the first blow will shatter a significant chunk of carapace. A follow up javelin or sharp rock ought to rip through their fleshy skin. Most hits to the skin are likely to cause massive bleeding and at least some nervous system damage. I also recommend building catapults and onagers so that non-unicorns don’t have to risk getting in close to score hits. Hooking spears to a pony’s armor will also allow them to greatly increase their effective range.” Twilight made a note to see Rarity about modifying armor straps to accommodate spears as well. “Thank you, General. There is only one thing we have left to discuss then: what should we do with our forces since Trottingham is out of the question. I think we should search for the princesses. With them, we could strike a devastating blow into enemy lines.” Bullhead bluntly rejected the idea. He believed that their time would be best spent striking at the enemy immediately, before clear battle lines could be drawn. Ploddington wanted to spend time shoring up the defences of the remaining cities and not going on the offensive until the strengths of both sides could be better ascertained. Starbright agreed with Bullhead’s idea, and Scrubbrush wanted to send most of their forces back to the cities while small strike teams conducted hit and run attacks on the enemy. Just as Twilight was beginning to think that this discussion was going to be the kind that dragged on for hours without solution, Eisenhorn cleared his throat, drawing everypoiny’s attention. “I agree with Lady Sparkle. We do not have the power to meet them in open battle, nor do I think we can properly damage them with small scale strikes. If we just sit behind city walls, we will eventually be overrun unless starvation takes us first. I spoke to Princess Celestia before she and her sister left. She said that they were going to deal a blow that would cripple the enemy. She said that her sister had discovered the location of the enemy’s ‘heart’ and that if they failed to destroy it, this war would quickly be over, and not in our favor. I think I know where they went, though I do not know why they have not returned. We would not be able to bring an army there, but a few of us would be perfectly capable of sneaking in. That is why I suggest sending our troops to defend the cities while I lead a small group to assassinate the enemy leader.” They all knew he spoke the truth, though several would have been loathe to admit it. The next subject for debate was how large the force should be and who all should go. Eisenhorn insisted that only powerful unicorns should be allowed to go with the only exceptions being a couple of pegasi to serve as emergency messengers. Bullhead’s protests were silenced only when the general pulled rank. Twilight was determined to go as well. She knew that she could make him accept her decision to join the expedition, but she decided instead to make him accept her based on something more logical than her rank, which she still felt uncomfortable using. “This mission will be extremely dangerous; there is a good chance we won’t survive. You haven’t even gone through basic training. On top of that, the army is going to need somepony to organize everything. I can’t stop you from coming with us, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Twilight noted that he held no tone of condescension in his voice, nor did she think he was acting. Even if he didn’t think that she was up to the task, at least he wasn’t simply brushing her off for superficial reasons. Twilight herself wasn’t even sure that she should go. “For what it’s worth, sir, in the past day alone, Twilight has proved to be an excellent commander, and she’s probably one of the best magic users in the army, possibly excluding some of your best ponies.” Twilight smiled a bit when Starbright came to her defence. Just as Twilight was preparing to make her own case as to why she should be on the team, there was an uproar from outside. There was a scream shortly followed by the sound of somepony slamming into the ground. After that, noise seemed to erupt all over the camp. They all jumped to their feet in time to watch one of Twilight’s guards, one of the pegasi, slam into the table with a sickening crunch. The cuts on her body told everyone present exactly what had attacked her. They all rushed outside, mentally preparing for battle.
Chapter 4Books and Eisenhorn’s description couldn’t have prepared Twilight for the reality of the Devourers. Even with most of its legs on the ground, the one before her easily topped twelve feet. Its body was coloured a sort of off-white contrasting with its darkly coloured legs. What attracted her attention the most was the rows of glistening, blood-stained teeth. She also noticed that it seemed to have no eyes, ears, or any other type of sensory organ. All the same, it turned towards her, and she felt certain that it knew where and WHO she was. It had been slamming itself against a shield put up by the last member of Twilight’s bodyguard, whose complexion suggested that her strength was nearing its end. It charged, and Twilight panicked. Doing the only thing she could think of, she encased it in a magic bubble. It bashed against its newfound prison, attempted to bore through it, and doused it in acid. Twilight could feel the slight drain of holding the spell against its onslaught, but for some reason, it didn’t seem to drain her magic the way her studies suggested it should. She snapped out of her musings when she heard Bullhead let out a warcry. She watched as he charged a Devourer that was busy dodging rocks. It had clearly not been too successful as its shell was broken open in a number of places, green blood oozing from one particularly large hole near the thing’s head. She watched as he leaped, turned around, and delivered an impressive double kick to the already horrific wound. There was a snap followed by an unholy screech of pain. The beast toppled, blood spewing from its neck, its upper spine bent at a sharp angle. A particularly vicious hit to her shield brought her attention back to her captive, who seemed to have become enraged, lashing out viciously at the thin, largely translucent bubble preventing it from ripping its intended victim apart. She spotted several large crates nearby, picked them up, and hurtled them towards the beast before releasing it from its prison. The creature let out a mighty roar, thinking it had finally defeated its magical tormentor. The cry turned to one of anger as the heavy crates slammed into it, knocking it off balance, and pinning several of its legs. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Twilight picked up several nearby tent poles and threw them towards the monster. The poles that had held up the war tent were heavy and made of iron; they were also quite sharp. Three of them found their mark, and the beast was slain. Twilight had taken a life. At that moment she wanted to do nothing more than sit there and ponder what it was she felt, this curious mixture of sadness and relief, but she knew that she would not have that luxury in a battle. She steeled herself, resolving not to cry, not until it had ended. Elsewhere in the camp, things were not going so well. The army was comprised largely of non-unicorns, which meant that against such a physically fearsome foe, they had little chance. Many had simply fled when the fighting began, many more had been cut down before they had a chance to react. The hospital, supply wagons, and kitchen were all on side of the camp furthest from the action. It was because of this, that Twilight’s friends were able to get many of the wounded ponies away from the camp, taking with them anyone who could not fight. Were it not for the elements of harmony, the number of casualties likely would have been even higher. About half an hour after the fight began, Twilight and the other generals were beginning to see that the battle was going poorly. Twilight, Eisenhorn, and Ploddington worked together to cover themselves, Starbright, Scrubbrush, and about a dozen other ponies who happened to be nearby with a large shield. Bullhead was nowhere to be seen. “The battle is lost. We have to retreat!” shouted Ploddington. Eisenhorn nodded. “You should take whoever you can find and meet up with the reinforcements. They should only be a couple hours away. After that, head for Fillydelphia. I see three of my best soldiers in here with us. I’ll take them and Twilight to find Celestia.” “Um, everypony, we need to hurry. They’re starting to take notice of us.” Twilight allowed a twinge of fear into her voice as she said that. Eisenhorn cleared his throat before shouting, “Blaze! Nightbreeze! Rustle! To me! We’ve got a mission, so let’s get the buck out of here.” He turned to Twilight before adding “We run for the trees on the count of three. Everypony else, follow Ploddington’s orders, unless you want to be a snack for those oversized worms.” Everyone tensed as he counted down. When he reached one, all hell broke loose. As the shield popped out of existence, the Devourers rushed forward only to be met by a series of explosive blasts. As Twilight ran, she thought she saw Bullhead, covered in gashes and wounds that should have stopped him long before, bearing down on one of the abominations that had been caught by the brunt of the explosion. His face was battered and bruised, but the fury in his eyes told Twilight that he would not stop until his heart did, and she began to cry. Even as they ran for their lives, Twilight cried for those who had died. She cried for all those she could not save. She felt helpless, unable to save anyone. In that moment, she wished for nothing more than the power to save those who were suffering. They ran for what seemed like hours, stopping only when they reached a forest. Eisenhorn called a halt so that they could proceed carefully through the forest. Twilight obeyed his orders, recognizing that his experience was far more important than court formalities out in the middle of the forest. They continued on into the forest despite the fact that it was pitch black by that point. There was no moon that night, which only made navigating the thick underbrush that much harder. Eventually, they were exhausted and had to rest. Eisenhorn called a brief meeting to explain what was happening to the other three unicorns. He also informed them that they would likely reach their destination shortly after leaving in the morning. They set up several detection spells to warn them of intruders and went to sleep, all of them huddled together to keep warm. They were still hungry, but at least they wouldn’t freeze. They set out again around mid morning. By sheer luck they managed to find some edible berries about an hour later. With food in their bellies, they set out with renewed vigor. Suddenly, the dense underbrush gave way to reveal a massive pit. In the middle of the massive pit, which must have stretched out at least a kilometer in each direction, was a mound. It wasn’t just a mound, however; despite being a massive hunk of rock, there were clearly identifiable features. The whole thing seemed to be shaped like a massive head, eager to swallow anyone foolish enough to enter. Fortunately, there was an easy path leading to it, though Twilight wondered if that just meant they would be sealing their fate sooner. The general didn’t leave them long to ponder the scale of things, instead urging them onwards. They would be out in the open until they got inside, and that worried him. They walked in silence, despite the fact that the time for stealth had passed, but then, what was there to say? They were walking into what ought to be the most dangerous place in the world. They were there to kill the leader of an entire race of horrifying monsters. Twilight knew it was utterly mad. It was so mad, she let out a laugh. Before long, she was laughing hysterically. Though the fit passed momentarily, her eyes kept a wild look about them. The others made no comment about her outburst, but they made sure to distance themselves a bit. An involuntary shudder passed through the group as they passed under the opening. It was dark inside, but they simply conjured some magical light. As they descended into the depths they began to wonder why they met no resistance at all. When they got a bit further down, the cavern suddenly opened up. What they saw struck them with awe. There was an entire city, carved from the earth below the surface. The architecture was strangely alien. Where pony architecture was defined by straight lines and distinct geometric figures, the Devourer city seemed more like a hive. Though there were clearly identifiable structures, the whole thing seemed to be connected with everything leading to the center. It was there at the very center of the city that the ponies could see what they had come so far to find. Two figures were locked in battle with a massive creature in the midst of what might have once been a mighty stronghold, now reduced to rubble along with much of its surroundings. Their flowing manes identified them as the missing princesses, though Twilight could not even begin to comprehend how it was possible to fight for over a day without rest. For the first time since fleeing the chaos at the camp, they broke into a gallop.
Chapter 5As they neared the battleground, Twilight sensed an enormous buildup of energy. She managed to put up a shield just in time as a massive burst of energy spread outwards from the horrible creature, threatening to tear apart anything it hit. It was then that they heard it speak. “Who dares defile my citadel?! I recognize you, you who killed my children. How dare you come here! This will be your tomb; my children will feast upon your corpses!” Twilight sensed another buildup of energy surrounding the horror. “Twilight?!” Celestia had finally noticed the new arrivals, though Luna seemed to be concentrating on something else. “What are you all doing here? It’s too dangerous! Run while you can!” “Too late.” There was a low rumbling that grew steadily louder. The ground beneath them seemed to shake. There was a loud crack, and the ceiling above the entrance collapsed. Many tons of rock cascaded down over the entrance, sealing it. Luna’s horn began to shine. A shadow seemed to emerge from it in the shape of a gigantic bat. The bat flew towards the best and exploded in a cloud of darkness which seemed to wrap its tendrils around the creature as if trying to drag it down into the earth. It laughed cruelly as if considering them no more harmful than a bear might find a fly. “I grow bored with this game. I think it is time I started playing in earnest.” Even as he finished speaking, he began to radiate pulses of energy. Though they had all huddled together and pooled their strength to form one shield, the toll it was taking became evident mere moments after it began. After two minutes of being unable to do anything but stand there trying to resist it, the unicorns Eisenhorn had brought with him fell down exhausted, unable to contribute more to without running the risk of suicide. The general himself was beginning to look worn, his years of experience the only thing keeping him from collapsing. Twilight had fallen to her knees for support but kept up the flow of magic. Even Celestia had abandoned her normally calm demeanor, though she remained resolutely on her feet. Luna broke off her contribution to the spell and tried to shout above the roar of the tempest around them. “Sister! We feel that the only possible way to win is to call upon him.” Celestia sighed and closed her eyes. “Doing so could cause the destruction of Equestria; you know that, Luna!” “If we do nothing, Equestria WILL be destroyed!” Luna countered, a look of determination on her face, betrayed only by the fear and pleading in her eyes. “You understand what the price will be, don’t you?” “I have been considering it since they arrived.” Luna said sorrowfully. Celestia turned to Twilight “My faithful student, what would you give to save Equestria?” Twilight did not have to consider the answer. “Anything!” “Luna, show Twilight the spell we will cast. Show her everything.” Luna nodded and walked over to Twilight. “I am sorry, little one. There are things nopony should see.” Her horn began to glow softly and Twilight felt her consciousness fall into what first seemed like a painting. She recognized the sensation of being shown a memory, though she didn’t think that she’d ever get used to the sensation. They were in a beautiful garden. The garden was ringed on three sides by tall walls and a castle on the fourth. In the middle of the garden was a patio. It was the sort of place which might, under normal circumstances, be home to a dinner party or some such gathering. But these circumstances were anything but normal. All the furniture had been removed and in its place, a large stone circle had been placed. On the slab, seven concentric circles had been carved and between the circles, Twilight could see runes. In the very center of the circle sat five iron chains. Though Twilight did not recognize most of the runes, those she could see told her that this was not going to be a pleasant memory. Moments later, she watched as two Alicorns and a dragon walked out of the castle, accompanied by dozens of guards and a white unicorn. The unicorn was in the center of the throng and clearly the object of everyone’s attention. Everyone gathered had a look of anger, resentment, or fear on their face, everyone except the white unicorn whose face contained only boredom. He walked into the center of the circle, and as he did so, the chains sprang to life. One joined itself to each of his paws, the last one hooking onto the red collar that encircled his neck. “Are we all prepared?” asked one of the Alicorns, who was orange and sounded not unlike Celestia. “Neigh, sister of ours.” Replied the other Alicorn, sounding similar to Luna despite having a deeply purple coat instead of the blue familiar to Twilight. “Twilight, do you understand what is about to happen? I realize most of those runes should be meaningless to you.” Twilight mentally jumped when she heard Luna’s, and it was definitely Luna’s, voice. “I think so. I see symbols of binding and prevention, but they aren’t quite the same as the ones I know.” “That does not surprise us, er, me; the ones you know are for inanimate objects, making sure things stick together, sealing liquids in a jar, etcetera. These are not things we allow the general populace to use for their power is in bending another pony to your will or limiting her power. Their use is only for the most heinous of crimes, often in cases where the death penalty has also been considered. Do you know the significance of the circles?” “I know that some powerful spells recommend drawing a circle and writing runes inside of it, though nopony seems to know why. The common theory is that drawing a circle helps one visualize a stable flow of magic.” Though Twilight could not see it, Luna could not help but smirk at that. “No, Twilight, the circle is itself a rune. Lesser magics can be performed without it, but the energy cost is much greater. Greater magics require one because the amount of magical energy needed increases exponentially with spell complexity. Knowing when to use a circle is important and far more complicated in practice than that, but we don’t have a lot of time. As a rule of thumb, don’t use a circle when it isn’t necessary and the more circles a spell requires, the more terrifying its power. This is one of a handful of occasions where a spell has required more than three circles. To put it into perspective, binding you in this manner would require only a single circle, and you would be more completely subdued than he is about to be.” “Who is he” she asked, filled with awe and suddenly afraid, having begun to piece together what Luna wanted them to do. “He is one th—” Luna stopped mid-sentence. “He is an ancient being. That is all you need to know for now. Watch this next part, it’s important.” The ceremony below had been going on for a couple of minutes now, though no significant changes had happened. Then the orange Alicorn stopped her incantation. The white unicorn seemed to glow; there was a flash, and when the flash had passed, the white unicorn had vanished. In its place stood an identical pony, but the new one was pitch black and seemed somehow less substantial than before, like a silhouette or a shadow of the original. The eyes had changed, too. Where before they had been a faint green, they were now red. Then he spoke. “None of you shall live much longer, for I have seen your dyings. This very ground I curse as I pass from this world. May you all suffer great pain for destroying my world!” With those last words, the area around his horn seemed to become darker, and the chains that held him began to shine brightly. Several guards dropped to their knees, holding their heads as though experiencing great pain. The Alicorns and the dragon merely looked discomforted. The greatest change, however, was to the plants that grew in the garden. Suddenly, the trees seemed to grow more twisted, and the flowers began to curve maliciously while sprouting thorns. Twilight could see beyond the walls as well. She watched as a small forest of sinister trees sprang up right in front of her eyes. After that the memory began to fade, reality once again coming into focus. The last thing Twilight heard before snapping back to real life was: “Today, we are going to release him from his bonds.”
Chapter 6Twilight stared at the princesses with wild eyes and began to laugh the same way she had earlier “haha, you’ve gone mad as well. We’ve all gone completely mad.” Luna smacked her hard. “We have NOT gone mad! Nor will we release him completely. It would not be the first time he has been called upon to serve us. It is part of his punishment.” Twilight, though trembling from being hit, seemed to have regained some of her composure. “But how will we even summon him. You intend to use me as a host to make it easier, but that means you also have one fewer caster. You, me, and Celestia would already be hard pressed to do the spell ourselves, and she has to maintain the shield!” “You already know what we intend to get the energy.” Luna said coldly. At that, realization washed over Twilight. “No. I won’t help you do that. It’s monstrous! THEY’LL DIE!” she shouted, though her voice contained far more pleading than anger. It was not Luna who replied this time, but Eisenhorn. “M’lady, with all due respect, you will help her do that. Yes, we’ll die, but that’s alright. If we don’t do it, we’ll die anyway, and that fiends demonic children will eat us. We’d rather move on and see the friends we’ve already lost, knowing our sacrifice will help than stubbornly cling to some stupid ideal and suffer more for it. Sometimes, you can’t save everypony. Sometimes, ponies die.” Twilight bowed her head, tears streaming from her eyes. Luna took this as a tacit acceptance and began to draw a circle around the lavender mare. The rest of her preparations took but a moment more. The spell itself was fairly simple, since it was really just invoking a clause in a different spell. All the same, the amount of energy needed would certainly consume the four unicorns who had accompanied Twilight. In addition, it would leave Luna incredibly weak for several days. Celestia’s only acknowledgement of the world during all this was a grunt and a single tear. Luna spoke the word that would invoke the magic, and silently prayed that she wasn’t making things worse. Twilight felt the Other’s presence flooding into her body. It seemed to take an eternity but really only took a second or two. As the Other’s mind began to take control of her limbs, Twilight tried to fight it off. “Stop!” It commanded. Twilight felt compelled to obey it, even as part of her screamed in protest. Soon she was completely unable to sense anything with her body, a sensation that caused her to panic. “If you calm down, you would realize that you can still sense things with your mind,” the Other said drolly. “What are you?” asked twilight’s mind. “I am a pony, more or less. That’s not really important right now, though. You do know that your princess is on the verge of losing, don’t you?” he said. At least, Twilight thought it was a he. She wasn’t entirely certain how gender worked when one was possessing minds and bodies. “Would you like me to save her? To be quite honest, I don’t really care how this ends so long as I get to have a bit of fun.” “I thought you had to obey us!” The Other chuckled. “Well, it’s true that I’m not really free. I am required to kill that thing at some point. I also have to make sure that neither you nor the princesses die for real, but that leaves me a lot of options. For one thing, I could keep them barely alive for years, as they are eaten over and over again by those stupid pests. I can also make you watch the whole thing. Still, that sounds pretty disgusting, so I won’t do that, probably. Besides, it may sound strange, but I miss being in my cell; it’s next to a library, and He lets me do as I please, mostly.” Twilight was disturbed by the calm almost bored way he talked about watching people be tortured for years on end and was even more frightened by the thought of having to watch it. She began to suspect, however, that despite his words he really was going to help and that he was mostly saying such things to tease her. She also considered the fact that she might have gone mad yesterday, and this whole thing was a horrible hallucination. “So, you’ll help us?” she chanced. “Hmm, maybe.” He responded dispassionately. “On the one hoof, I could make you all beg, but on the other, you did just sacrifice four innocent ponies to bring me here. It would be rude of me to simply refuse to help. Indeed, it would quite go against the laws of hospitality. Rules are rules, you know.” Twilight began to wonder if even her imaginings were going mad. “Very well, I’ll squish the bug. I’ll even let you take a peep through these eyes and ears since you were kind enough to talk to me; it’s been about a thousand years since I got to talk to anyone other than that old windbag.” True to his word, Twilight could suddenly see and hear again, though she had no control over anything. The first thing she saw was Luna passed out on the ground. “Don’t worry, she’s quite alright, if a bit plum tuckered out.” Next her gaze drifted towards Celestia who was visibly straining to hold the barrier at this point. “Hello, sweet Princess Celestia.” He said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Do allow me to take that off your hooves.” The shield around them vanished, and Princess Celestia dropped to her knees from exhaustion. Despite there being no visible barrier the monster’s strikes still failed to reach them. Now, instead of slamming into and washing over the barrier, each blast simply diffused as it got close to them. The only indication of any magic being a faint glow around Twilight’s horn. The beast began to scream at them. If it had tried to speak words, they were lost in a roar of anger. It increased the amount of energy pouring out of it. Twilight could see that the city surrounding them was rapidly being reduced to rubble. The increased effort did not seem to phase the Other. His reaction was, quite simply, to yawn and scratch his nose, well, Twilight’s nose. “You’ve bored me. You’re also too loud.” Twilight’s horn began to glow brighter. Suddenly, the monster found itself casually picked up. For the first time, Twilight could see its shape clearly defined. It had no clear relation to the disgusting creatures they had fought the night before, being a dull black rather than a shade of white. It was shaped much like an elongated dragon, though instead of spines on its back, there was a writhing mass of tentacles, and its tail held more resemblance to a scythe than the spear-like tails most dragons had. It contorted trying to fight the magic holding it up, then it began to scream. Twilight could not understand what was happening at first. Then she heard the snap. The screaming stopped immediately. The body dropped to the group, limp. The Other teleported them to Canterlot Castle. The palace was a wreck from the attack. Over the next few days, the Other used his magic to repair much of the castle and the town. When he wasn’t cleaning up, he was in the library looking at books that had been written since his last trip to Equestria. When the horrible creature in the colony had died, all of the other Devourers had lost their minds and begun to attack one another. Shortly after, ponies began to make their way back home. The Other wrote a letter on Twilight’s behalf to her friends explaining that she was alright and that she just had to help around Canterlot for a few days. Celestia had recovered enough to address the people the day after their battle in the underground city. All in all, things were getting back to normal, though no pony would ever forget about the lives lost in what would come to be called “The Second War of the Mountain”. Then, as things were settling down and Twilight had become used to being merely an observer in her own life, the Other announced that he was leaving. “It’s been fun, little one, but I have to be going. It isn’t a good idea to leave one’s body for extended periods of time. Don’t worry about the spell to send me back, it’s trivial for me.” “Wait, you still haven’t told me who you are. Every time I’ve asked, you just brush it off and find something else to do. Why won’t you tell me?” “Twilight, that’s a story for another time. Come see me face to face, and I’ll tell you.” “I thought that was impossible.” “Nothing is impossible; some things simply aren’t worth the price.” “That isn’t an answer. At least tell me what you did to get imprisoned for thousands of years.” He sighed. “Very well, the short version of it is simple: I killed somepony and started a war. Pretty common occurrence in those days, actually. I was not a normal pony though, which is why they bound and sealed me. I’m no longer allowed to travel where I will or do much magic of consequence. The long of it can wait. If you want to know so badly, come find me.” And with that, he popped back out of the world, leaving Twilight with a sudden rush of feeling. Not being accustomed to standing up for the past few days, she simply toppled over. She decided to see the Princess before heading back to Ponyville, eager to see her friends. She found the Princess in her private quarters filling out and signing paperwork. Celestia gave a faint smile and invited her over. “I see our guest has gone home.” She commented. Twilight walked over, still a little unsteady. The lavender mare sat down next to the Princess. “Princess, how do you carry on? You’ve seen so much more of these wars than I have. How can anypony go through that and still be alright?” The tears began to flow faster than they had at any point during the war. “Because I know I have to. I have to be alright so that those I care about can continue on as well. But you don’t have to suffer alone. Talk to your friends, let them know how much you care, and remember those who are no longer here. It is for their sake that we continue on.” For a while neither of them said anything, Twilight simply leaning on the Princess as if trying to disappear into her coat. Six months later, the world had largely recovered from the initial shock of the war, the last reminders of those gone from the world were the rows of fresh headstones in every cemetery. Twilight and her friends had been reunited, each one of them glad to see she was unharmed. Slowly, Equestria’s wounds were healing.
